~Day 2• 69: You had one job to do...Shar.

Great start to the day today.  The kids were playing quietly, and nicely, together.  They were playing Minecraft, of course.  Cailee had a doctor appointment today.  So she dressed herself.  I couldn't take the leopard pants and orange polka dot shirt.  So she came out in the pink skirt and orange polka dot shirt.  I couldn't handle that either, so I had her put on the blue shirt (since it looked very similar to orange polka dot shirt)  I could handle the blue and pink better.  So that's how we went to the doc.  We found the book "If you give a pig a pancake" in the doctor office. She was in 7th heaven, and it made the appointment easier.  Then we were off to north Phoenix to see my little brother, Loren!  I made the kids take a selfie in the back seat...the love it when I make them take pictures.

We met in north Phoenix at a Chick-fil-a.  (Phoenix is quite large, and it took us about an hour to get there) The kiddos were happy to get out of the car.  There was a wall in some shade and the kids had fun playing on it while we waited for Loren and Shireena to arrive.  The girls decided to use the tree as a kind of rope swing.  It was a little warm today... mid-80's.  ick.  the shade was nice.

Yay!!!  Loren and Shireena arrived safely from Alaska!!  They made a special trip in this direction to see me!  So privileged!  My grandpa's health is not too good right now.  They bought plane tickets that flew into Las Vegas.  They were heading up to Utah and Colorado, so they came my direction.  It was cheaper for them to fly to Vegas and rent a car, than to fly into one of the major cities where family lives.  So I benefited from a cheap flight!  I'm so glad.  I have not seen them for at least 2.5 years.  I drove north to them, trying to shave off 2 hours of drive time for them.  So worth it!  The kids had fun playing in the play area, eating ice cream, and talking to the aunt and uncle they rarely see.  We parked ourselves in there for about two hours. Shireena was great as she listened intently to Ashton's stories.  Brookie kept dancing in the window.  Cailee hid from the Chick-fil-a Cow mascot... It was nice to sit and talk!

After a late lunch, my job was to drive us to the Phoenix Temple, which was about 10 minutes away from the restaurant.  Yup.  I had one job to do.  I even had google maps on my phone telling me where to go.  I still made a few detours through a couple of neighborhoods.  Just trying to give the Alaskans a tour of beautiful Phoenix... holy crap.  It's kind of a joke in my family that we girls (3 of us...all natural blonds and proud of it) get lost.  Even with the most explicit directions.  We find a way to get lost.  Typical of me today.  I got lost, but made it look easy.  I didn't get stuck in one dead end. Yay me.

We had a nice time looking around and trying not to play in the fountains. This temple really is beautiful.

I have not been to the Phoenix Temple yet.  Each temple built has a specific theme that shows up in the architecture.  I didn't know this until the Gilbert Temple was built.  Each temple shows something of the native area.  Gilbert Temple is full of the Agave plant.  You can see it in the stained glass windows, the carpentry and all over the building.  The Phoenix Temple has what looks like a species of the Aloe Vera plant.  There is a red flower that is growing out of the center of the green stems.  (bottom left picture)  The plants around the temple really are lovely.  Shireena was trying to get a bug's view of the building.  I'm not sure how her shot turned out, but mine turned out nice haha

They were planning on driving 13 hours straight through to the Denver area tonight.  They were going to trade off driving.  That's why I drove to them, to save them some road time.  So we camped out at the church next door to the temple for a little while.  It gave me a chance to talk more with them and hear first hand how things were going.  I think it was a very selfish reason that I wanted them to stick around for awhile.  The kids had fun sitting with us for awhile.  I came prepared with a big blanket and snacks.  I made sure the kids brought some books and toys to keep them occupied because I didn't want to leave early because they were bored.  Shireena was great and was playing with the kids, too.  They had fun running around the parking lot and playing on actual soft, green grass. (we don't have grass at our house)

The longer we sat there, the more tired Loren and Shireena were looking.  They decided it would be safer if they slept for awhile and woke up early to drive.  So I held them hostage at my house.  We drove the hour to my house, kicked Ashton out of his bed, and put them up for the night.  I feel bad that we could have ended up here all afternoon instead of hanging out where we could find space up north, but I'm so glad I had so much time with them.

I'm sad that it will probably be another 2.5 years before I see them again.  But what a wonderful surprise I got yesterday when Loren said they were coming to see me.  I couldn't have asked for a better gift.  I sure love my 'spot.'  He's the only one who is allowed to call me 'Stubby' and get away with it  Anyone else would lose some kneecaps.  And I think he might cut out the tongue of anyone who calls him 'Spot,' besides me.  (a story for another time) I think I have a special bond with all my siblings.  Each one is different.  I'm the oldest of five, and at times I feel very protective of all of them, even though we are all adults now.  I sure love them all and miss them all the time.  It's hard living so far away from my family, so when I get to see them, I try to hog as much precious time as I can for purely selfish reasons.  I have one job to do when I'm around them: to get my fill of them until we meet again. I love you Madsen kids.